SCHEDULE CHANGE POLICY for TRAVEL AGENTS

A schedule change (SKCH) is defined as a time change, a flight number change, routing/airport change, operating carrier change, cabin change and flight cancellation, all occurring more than 48 hours of the original scheduled departure time. 

It applies to:

• 014 tickets, all fare types and un-ticketed PNRs under AC Groups, Tour, and Cruise contracts
• Air Canada schedule change on separate 014 tickets causing same day misconnection or being unable to complete a one-way journey within 24 hours
• Air Canada schedule change causing misconnection with other airlines on 014 tickets
• Air Canada schedule change causing misconnection to Intermodal transportation on 014 tickets
• Other airlines schedule change on 014 tickets

It does not apply to:

• Reprotection on flights with an earlier arrival time, and/or when connecting fights provide a better connection/connecting time which do not case a misconnection.

Air Canada sends schedule change notifications to the booking source and travellers up to 180 days prior to departure.

• If travellers find the protection not acceptable, they are permitted one free change (change fee and additional collection waived) within the rebooking window. They can also cancel the booking and keep the value of the ticket as a Future Travel Credit or if eligible, transfer the value of the unused tickets to an AC Wallet.
• You must action segment status changes within 14 days of the schedule change notification, or 48 hours prior to departure, whichever is earlier. This includes updating or cancelling ticketed or un-ticketed segments with status codes UN, NO, HX, WK, WL, WN and TK. You must also action or cancel segments with status codes UC, US, or DS.
• If you don’t action the schedule change within the time frame specified above, Air Canada will assume the re-protected flights are acceptable. As such, further voluntary changes or refunds are as per fare rules. In the event of a no-show, it will be considered a voluntary cancellation.
• Once the protection is accepted, further voluntary changes or refunds are as per fare rules.

Air Canada sends a schedule change notification to the booking source which is responsible for handling the schedule change. If the re-protection offered by Air Canada is unsuitable, the issuing agent or the other airline will re-accommodate according to their policies, which means the baggage policy of the other airline will apply.

Unused and partially used tickets: Flight time change of less than 3 hours

+/- 3 days before/after original travel dates for North America
+/- 7 days before/after original travel dates for all other destinations

Unused tickets: Flight time change of 3 hours or more or flight cancellation

+/- 30 days before/after original travel dates for all destinations

Partially used tickets: Flight time change of 3 hours or more, or flight cancellation

+/- 30 days before/after original travel dates of the remaining flight coupons for all destinations

Aircraft change which results in a cabin change: 

+/- 3 days before/after original travel dates for North America
+/- 7 days before/after original travel dates for all other destinations

Resumed flights

Up to 30 days from the date Air Canada resumes service, or after blackout dates

Origin/Destination

• Must remain the same to prevent additional collection, except in this situation:
  • With connecting itineraries, when the schedule change is on flights within Canada, the O and D can be changed to allow customers to make their own way to/from the nearest or next airport in the itinerary. Process an even exchange by following instructions in the Ticket Exchange Process section. Refer to Partial Refund section for more information.
• Change of connecting point is permitted.
• With AC operated flights, alternate AC stations can be offered to/from sister cities and any AC stations within 200 miles. Example MIA and FLL, LYS and GVA
• When the schedule change is to other airlines’ operated flights, rebooking on alternate stations is not permitted
• Same global direction must be respected (exception: AC flight to India)

Length of Stay

• For travellers with 014 tickets, the departure or return date can be changed to preserve original length of stay. The flights not affected by the schedule change must be booked on original routing and carrier

Economy Cabin

• Rebook same booking class, up to Y for Latitude, up to M for Basic, Standard, Flex, and Comfort. When only higher than M class is available, the change fee is waived but additional collection applies
• For other airlines, rebook same class up to Y
• For Qantas operated flights, you may only rebook in E, O, Q, G, N, S, V and L class

Premium Economy Cabin

• Rebook same booking code, up to O
• For protection on airlines that do not offer Premium Economy, you must rebook in economy, and request a refund for the difference online

Premium Rouge Cabin

• Rebook same booking code, up to J
• For protection on airlines that do not offer Premium Economy, you must rebook in economy, and request a refund for the difference online

Business and Signature Class

• Rebook same booking code, up to J
• For Qantas operated flights, you may only rebook in D class
• For airlines that only offer Economy and First Class, you must rebook in economy.  Request a refund for the difference online

Aeroplan Redemption

• Please contact the Aeroplan Contact Centre

AC BID Upgrade and Last Minute Upgrade Purchase

• Business and Signature Class: Up to J for AC and other airlines
• Premium Economy: Up to O on AC, and any Premium Economy class for other airlines

Waitlist

• Permitted if original purchased fare permits

Temporary exception for Tel Aviv route

Affected customers ticketed to travel on Air Canada to/from Tel Aviv until March 31, 2025, may choose to travel to/from an alternative airport in Europe without a change fee; additional collection applies.

Please note that customers who declined the refund and/or reprotection options offered and choose to fly to/from an alternative airport in Europe is a voluntary change. As such, Air Canada is not responsible to reimburse any expense and travel cost from between the alternative Europe city and Tel Aviv.

Rebooking is permitted on Air Canada-operated flights up to M class; the +/-30 days rebooking window applies. Any transportation costs to/from the alternate airport are the responsibility of the customer.

Please enter ACATLVAPR24 in the endorsement box of the exchanged ticket.

TEMPORARY EXCEPTION for Brazil

As a result of the flooding in Brazil, Air Canada ticketed itineraries to/from Porto Alegre (POA) on flight operated by other airlines can be rebooked to depart/arrive from the following cities:

• GIG, CXJ, PFB, PET, GEL, FLN, QNS or XAP
• Other airlines flights within Brazil can be rebooked in any class in the original cabin without change fee or fare difference.
• International flight to/from Brazil must be operated by Air Canada
• Original travel dates: on/before October 21, 2024
• Rebooking window: up to and including December 8, 2024

Please enter ACAPOAMAY24 in the endorsement box of the exchange ticket.

Refunds permitted, please enter ACAPOAMAY24 in the Refund Waiver Code field.

Rebooking is not permitted on WJ or any airlines with whom AC does not have a interline eTicket agreement with.

1. Air Canada, Air Canada Express, Air Canada Rouge
2. Atlantic Joint Venture carriers for Transatlantic routings only (AC, UA and LHG*)
3. AC codeshare flights operated by Star Alliance
4. Pure Star Alliance flights, book lowest available booking code in the same cabin
5. AC codeshare flights operated by other airlines
6. Other airlines for itineraries in North America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America
7. Other airlines for Australia and New Zealand only if AC Transpacific flights are not available. Protection on UA is not permitted to/from/via Australia
8. Other pure Star Alliance or other airlines flights for Transatlantic, Transpacific and South America segments. This last option can only be used if AC is not available for the transatlantic or transpacific segments, and the segment between Canada - South America

Cuba

• U.S. laws, governing travel to Cuba, prohibits any United States carrier's flight from inclusion in a PNR with any other airline. Therefore, carriers can’t be used as protection on AC bookings, as they will be refused and cancelled per U.S. laws.
• American citizens cannot be re-routed via Cuba

Transatlantic

• Prior to commencement of travel, over-the-water protection flights must be Air Canada marketed and operated, or by Atlantic Joint venture carriers only (AC, UA and LHG*). Post departure, follow the Order of Selecting Airlines for Rebooking.
• To/from Istanbul and Warsaw, rebooking on AC marketed flights operated by TK or LOT is not permitted. Between European hubs, rebooking on LOT can only be in economy, lowest to highest, O, U, L, W, V.

Transpacific

Over-the-water protection flights must be marketed and operated by Air Canada, or by the airline in the original booking. 

To/from/via Australia and New Zealand, rebooking on:

• UA is not permitted
• CX is not permitted in G class
• QF is permitted in Economy E, O, Q, G, N, S, V and L class, and in D class for Business

South America

• Rebooking between Canada - South America must be on AC marketed and operated flights, or the airline in the original booking. Rebooking is not permitted via the U.S., the Caribbean or Central America.

Due to an equipment change, and/or aircraft reconfiguration, customers may be involuntary downgraded (regraded) to a different cabin.

SKCH notification more 48 hours prior to departure

Traveller wants to stay in original cabin

• Rebook on another flight with the same routing in their original cabin of service
• If not available, offer alternate routes via another gateway

Traveller accepts the rebooking in a downgraded cabin

• Rebook in the class of service of the downgraded cabin (Y or O)
• Once travel is complete, contact us via Let Us Know form by selecting General Concerns and Class of Service Change, click here to complete the form. We will determine if any compensation or adjustment to the fare is applicable.

Traveller voluntary requests an upgrade

• Premium Economy customers downgraded to economy may be rebooked in Business Class subject to additional collection; change fee is waived.
  

Refunds are not permitted in the following scenarios:

• Departure time change of less than 3 hours
• Cancellation with protection less than 3 hours from original departure/arrival time
• Aircraft change resulting in a cabin change
• Change of operating carrier

Refunds are permitted in the following scenarios:

• Departure or arrival time change of 3 hours or more
• Cancellation without protection, or with protection of 3 hours or more from original departure/arrival time
• Change from a non-stop to a connecting itinerary, or change results to more stops or connections
• Routing (origin/destination)/airport change
• Not permitting a same-day connection
• Schedule change creating a misconnection
• As above, also to itineraries on separate AC tickets issued to create a complete one-way journey within 24 hours
• For itineraries with segment to/from the United States, if the customer chooses not to travel due to a flight segment downgraded to a lower cabin (regrade)

Refunds related to accessibility services

Customers who self-identify with a disability or who have already requested an accessibility service feature are eligible for a refund (travelling companion included on same or separate reservation), provided the disruption is included in “Refunds are permitted in the following scenarios”, when there is a:

• Change of aircraft type resulting in the loss of an accessibility feature, including but not limited to a door that does not accommodate a wheelchair, non-accessible in-flight entertainment, or accessible washrooms.
• Change of connecting airport. Example from YWG xYUL FRA changed to YWG xYYZ FRA

Refund Process

Direct Channel
Waiver codes not required. Please request refund via My Bookings or through the Air Canada Contact Centres.

GDS
Enter the applicable waiver code and the 3- or 4-digit flight number in the refund waiver code field.

For partially used tickets:

• If you are unable to calculate the refund, please queue your PNR to the rates desk.
• For connecting itineraries that include a flight within Canada affected by an Air Canada initiated schedule change (per above permitted refunds), when customers chose to drive to the nearest Canadian airport, or drive to the next airport on their itinerary, or continue to destination at their own expense, partial refunds may also apply to the unused affected flight coupon. Please call the Contact Centre or queue your PNR to the rates desk for calculation and processing of the partial refund, if any. Reminder that some cities are common-rated which mean a refund may not be due.

Note: Debit Memo will be issued when the waiver code is not entered in the GDS Refund Waiver code field.

Tickets must be reissued for flight number, routing and date change. Enter SKCHxxxx (flight number) in the endorsement box of the reissued tickets

You don’t need to reissue tickets for flight time or aircraft change.

Your customers can keep their tickets as Future Travel Credit. The following conditions apply upon exchanging the tickets:

• If the new fare is lower, the residual value is lost. 
• Change fee is waived, but additional collection applies.
• Some original non-refundable taxes remain non-refundable and new taxes must be collected.
• Refundable taxes that do not apply on the exchanged tickets can be refunded. 
• Expiration date based on Ticket Validity.

AC WALLET

• Aeroplan members can choose to receive credits to their AC Wallet when cancelling eligible tickets.
• AC Wallet credits expire one year from ticket issuance date.